Introduction to LogMiner - (Oracle 8i)
by Jeff Hunter, Sr. Database Administrator
Contents
1. Overview
2. Create a meta-data file
3. Create the list of 'to examine logfiles'
4. Start LogMiner
5. Examine view v$logmnr_contents
6. Final Remarks on LogMiner
Overview
Oracle8i provides a new tool to find out what Oracle is writing to the redo log files
called LogMiner. The log files store all the data needed to perform a database recovery
and record all changes (INSERT, UPDATE and DELETE) made to the database. Until
Oracle8i there was no built-in tool for helping administrators read and interpret the
redo-log files. Sending a dump-file of the logfiles to Oracle Support was the only
solution.
LogMiner is a set of PL/SQL packages and dynamic (V$) views. The packages are
installed with the installation of the database. The views however will be created on the
moment you startup LogMiner by using the DBMS_LOGMNR.START_LOGMNR
procedure.
LogMiner can be used against Online or Offline log files from either the 'current'
database or a 'foreign' database.
The most important package is DBMS_LOGMNR.START_LOGMNR. This one will
create the necessary views you can query later on. To be able to read the views you will
have to setup a meta-data file before starting LogMiner.
Create a meta-data file
Run the procedure DBMS_LOGMNR_D.BUILD as SYS.
SQL> set serveroutput on
SQL> CONNECT SYS
SQL> EXECUTE
dbms_logmnr_d.build(Dictionary_FileName=>'Dictionary.ora',Dictionary_L
ocation=>'/u01/app/oracle/common/utl_file');
NOTE: DBMS_LOGMNR_D.BUILD uses the database package UTL_FILE.
Therefore you need to add a parameter UTL_FILE_DIR in the init.ora file pointing to a
directory on the server.
Eg. UTL_FILE_DIR = (/u01/app/oracle/common/utl_file)
Create the list of 'to examine logfiles'
A.) Add the first logfile to the list:
SQL> EXECUTE
dbms_logmnr.add_logfile(Options=>dbms_logmnr.new,LogFileName=>'/u03/ap
p/oradata/SEBLMKT/redo_g01a.log');
B.) Add other logfiles to the list :
SQL> EXECUTE
dbms_logmnr.add_logfile(Options=>dbms_logmnr.addfile,LogFileName=>'/u0
3/app/oradata/SEBLMKT/redo_g02a.log');
SQL> EXECUTE
dbms_logmnr.add_logfile(Options=>dbms_logmnr.addfile,LogFileName=>'/u0
3/app/oradata/SEBLMKT/redo_g03a.log');
NOTE: You decide yourself which logfile, and how many logfiles you will examine.
We suggest to create a list of just one logfile and to check the contents of this one before
adding another one.
NOTE: You can remove a log file from the list by using 'dbms_logmnr.removefile'
instead of using 'dbms_logmnr.addfile'
Start LogMiner
Start LogMiner with no limitations
SQL> EXECUTE
dbms_logmnr.start_logmnr(DictFileName=>'/u01/app/oracle/common/utl_fil
e/Dictionary.ora');
Limit the search to a specific time range during which someone made his changes to the
database
SQL> EXECUTE
dbms_logmnr.start_logmnr(DictFileName=>'/u01/app/oracle/common/utl_fil
e/Dictionary.ora'
, StartTime=>TO_DATE('15-Jan-2000 08:00:00','DD-
MON-RRRR HH:MI:SS')
, EndTime=>TO_DATE('15-Jan-2000 08:30:00','DD-
MON-RRRR HH:MI:SS')
);
Parameters of "dbms_logmnr.start_logmnr":
StartScn Default 0,
EndScn Default 0,
StartTime Default '01-Jan-1988',
EndTime Default '01-Jan-2988',
DictFileName Default '',
Options Default 0 (= a debug flag, not yet being used)
Examine view v$logmnr_contents
The results of LogMiner are stored in a private view called: v$logmnr_contents. It
might be helpful to so a DESCRIBE on the view.
Original DML
INSERT INTO dept VALUES (50, 'IT','PITTSBURGH');
Query V$LOGMNR_CONTENTS
SQL> SELECT username, sql_redo, sql_undo
2> FROM v$logmnr_contents
3> WHERE username = 'JHUNTER';
USERNAME SQL_REDO SQL_UNDO
delete from JHUNTER.DEPT
where DEPT NO = 50 and
INSERT INTO
DNAME = 'IT'
JHUNTER JHUNTER.DEPT(DEPTNO,DNAME,LOC)
and LOC = PITTSBURGH'
VALUES (50,'IT','PITTSBURGH');
and ROWID = 'AAAHhCAAn
AAAAGJAAE';
Example 1: Query v$logmnr_contents
The above example (Example 1) is a typical query against v$logmnr_contents. The
example tells us that the USERNAME 'JHUNTER' inserted a row into the table
JHUNTER.DEPT. This is seen under the 'SQL_REDO' column. The view
v$logmnr_contents also includes a column called 'SQL_UNDO' that includes the SQL
needed to UNDO the transaction.
Original DML
DELETE FROM dept WHERE deptno = 40;
Query V$LOGMNR_CONTENTS
SQL> SELECT username, sql_redo, sql_undo
2> FROM v$logmnr_contents
3> WHERE username = 'JHUNTER';
USERNAME SQL_REDO SQL_UNDO
DELETE FROM
JHUNTER.DEPT
WHERE DEPTNO = 40 insert into
and DNAME = JHUNTER.DEPT(DEPTNO,DNAME,LOC)
JHUNTER
'OPERATIONS' values
and LOC = 'BOSTON' (40,'OPERATIONS','BOSTON');
and ROWID =
'AAAHhCAAnAAAAGJAAD';
Example 2: Query v$logmnr_contents
The above example (Example 2) is another query against v$logmnr_contents. The
example tells us that the USERNAME 'JHUNTER' deleted a row from the table
JHUNTER.DEPT.
Final Remarks on LogMiner
The output from LogMiner is the contents of the view 'v$logmnr_contents'. The output
is only visible during the life of the session which runs the procedure
'dbms_logmrn.start_logmnr'. This is because all the LogMiner memory is in PGA
memory, so it is neither visible to other sessions, nor is it persistent.
So the moment you logoff or you invoke the procedure 'dbms_logmnr.end_logmnr' the
PGA will be cleared and the information is no longer available.
DBMS_LOGMNR and DBMS_LOGMNR_D call kernel C modules directly. There is
very little of the functionality visible to the user in the dbmslogmnr.sql.
